Do I Need to Believe in Jesus as God?

Question

Hello, I am a 21 year old female who has been raised Christian. During my formative years and through High School I had very spiritual experiences included prophetic dreams, speaking in tongues, hearing someone speak in tongues and it then being immediately translated verbatim. I backslid. I am now at a point where I found the same God-presence in Kundalini Yoga/meditation. I am looking for some answers on if I need to believe in Jesus as God, or is there more to this? Please help.

—rachel, US

Answer

Jesus was a great master, one of a number who have lived on this earth. Others include, but are not limited to, masters such as Moses, Buddha, Shankara, Ramakrishna, and Yogananda. It’s not that these masters are God, but that they act as clear channels for God into this world. In this way, you can see Jesus as a son of God, rather than the son of God. From time to time, as the need becomes very great, and as a deep soul call goes out from people, that Divine sends one of these great souls into the world to help uplift all those who are receptive.

The goal of all religions and their practices is to experience the Divine Presence. We find as we progress along the spiritual path, our understanding expands as we deepen our practices, and our attunement.

In India there is a term used, “sanaatan dharma,” which translates to “the eternal religion.” It may be helpful to think of your search as an “eternal” one that continues on as you evolve your understanding. It isn’t necessary to leave Jesus behind, but more to expand and deepen your understanding of who he was and what his teachings represent.

Jesus spoke of himself both as the “son of man” and as “the son of God.” These are terms that help us in understanding that, as a son of man, he did have a body and a personality and used them to act in this world. When he spoke of himself as “the son of God,” he was not referring to his body and personality, but to cosmic and universal states of consciousness that all masters such as he was have attained. It was from this consciousness that he made such statements as “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one cometh unto the Father but by me.”

The Divine Presence will come to us in whatever way we find inspiring. All the great masters who come to this earth are channels for this Presence. As much as we attune to the consciousness of a master, using the techniques he brings, then we are able to, as the Bible says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”